Gas turbine engines include a compressor that ingests and compresses air, a combustor where the compressed air is mixed with a fuel and ignited, and a turbine section across which the combustion products are expanded. The expansion of the combustion products drives the turbine section to rotate, thereby driving rotation of a fan, and a corresponding portion of the compressor. The compressor, combustor, and turbine sections are connected to each other via a primary fluid flowpath beginning at an inlet forward of the compressor, and terminating at an outlet aft of the turbine.
In some examples, such as extreme weather conditions, bird strikes, or any other movement through a debris field, it is possible for debris to pass through the fan and be ingested into the primary flowpath through the inlet. If allowed to pass through the primary flowpath, this debris can damage rotors, stators, and/or other gaspath components within the primary flowpath.